by Deb Rotuno
“Public records and the US Postal Service are amazing and most helpful resources of information. Just what the hell are you spending it on?” I asked, not even caring about the answer, but I’d pushed too far.
The glass in his hand flew, shattering against the bookshelf by my head, but a heavier piece caught my face.
“You wretched piece of fucking shit…”
When I flinched, my phone was suddenly ripped from my hand, and I heard the telltale sound of plastic and electronics coming to an end on another wall, which made me panic because I knew Dani would be freaking out. A firm hand was at my throat, and he was in my face, shoving me into the bookcase behind me. He smelled like sweat and the hospital and the liquor he’d been drinking. Several books, not to mention a picture or two, tumbled to the floor.
“You should’ve drowned with her!” he snarled in my face. “Fuck, just looking at you…Your face…your fucking face. It’s the same repulsion she had for me.”
“Let me go,” I wheezed, pushing him back. “Let me go, or I’ll let the whole world know just what you are.”
He shoved me hard before pushing away from me. “And what’s that, you little shit?”
“An opportunistic, abusive thief,” I panted, rubbing my throat, only to touch the stinging place on my forehead. My fingers came away with blood on them. “Jesus, Dad, did you even love her? Or did you just set sights on her inheritance? Did you fool her like you’ve fooled everyone else in this godforsaken town?”
His half smile was my answer. “Good luck proving it.”
Faith stepped into the doorway, her phone in hand and fingers moving rapidly over the screen. “He doesn’t have to, Dad. I just recorded the whole thing…and I’ve already sent it to Tyler.”
He was in front her in just a step or two, and I tried to stop him, but he didn’t touch her other than to snatch her phone as well. In a blur, it was thrown, and the sound of breaking glass as it went out the window met my ears. The damn thing landed in the snow in the backyard.
“Get away from me, both of you. Get out of my house.”
Faith smiled, shaking her head. “No, see…I don’t think so. I think we can work out some sort of deal. We’ll tell Tyler to hold on to that video, and you will leave us—and what Mom left us—alone. No more threats, no more foul words from you. Otherwise, lawyers will be called, and I’m thinking the board of directors at the hospital may just get an e-mail. Oh! Not to mention Chief Clark. You know…his son Eric is in my class…” she mused dramatically. “He’s a really nice boy, works with the audio/video department at school.”
Dad was livid, but now he knew he was screwed.
“Blackmail,” he muttered, shaking his head.
“Probably.” I shrugged my shoulder. “Prove it,” I said, echoing his repetitive threat as I walked over to pick up the remnants of my cell phone, sighing deeply. “By the way, I was on a call when you so rudely interrupted.”
“No one gives a shit about what your college whore may or—”
I cut him off with a square punch to the face. “Call her that again, and everyone within a five-hundred-mile radius will know everything!” I turned to Faith as he slipped to the floor. “I’ve got to get out of here. I need some air.” I pointed to our father. “If he tries anything, just…get in your car and head to the diner or something.”
Faith nodded, wide-eyed and shocked, but she rushed to me. “Evan, your head…”
“I’m fine. I’ve…” I waved her off and walked to the front door, grabbing my jacket off the coatrack. Stepping out into the cold, snowy weather, I slammed the door behind me.
Chapter Nineteen
Dani
“PRETTY GIRL, HANG ON,” Evan said softly over the line, and I frowned at the change in his tone.
We’d just been joking, laughing, and we were trying to decide on a new book to read. Suddenly, he was serious, and if I’d had to guess…tentative, maybe even scared.
“Okay,” I muttered back, but I didn’t think he heard me because another voice came over the line. I grimaced at the sound of Evan’s father. Jesus, could he sound more hateful and disgusting?
When I heard the words “weak loser,” I left my room quickly, practically skidding down the stairs to the living room, where my dad and Wes were watching TV. They both looked up at me as I shut off the flat-screen and put a finger to my lips for them to be quiet. Someone needed to witness this shit because the language and tone were so very foul. But more than that, if something happened to Evan, I needed my dad.
I put my phone on speaker just as Evan’s dad said, “God, you’re so much like your fucking mother. Emotionless and cold. Nothing ever gets to you. Not even when you let her die.”
I gasped, looking to my dad in shock and hurt, and Wes moved to cover my mouth, touching the screen at the same time to mute our end of the line. Tears ran unchecked down my face with every foul word from William and every brave deflection from Evan. My sweet boyfriend was trying so fucking hard to maintain his temper. And he was doing a hell of a lot better than I would have.
“Daddy?” I pleaded with him, not knowing for what, but something needed to be done. I’d never felt so helpless and angry in all my life.
“Jesus,” Wes whispered, narrowing his eyes as he shook his head slowly. “I think Ev’s reached his limit. Uncle Daniel, we need to—”
“Yeah,” Dad interrupted him. “Go get your mother and aunt.”
Wes hesitated just as Evan completely threw every single thing he knew about his parents at his father—the divorce, the fact that William hated his own children and, finally, the trust fund.
“The fuck did you just say to me?” his father spewed.
“Public records and the US Postal Service are amazing and most helpful resources of information. Just what the hell are you spending it on?” Evan asked derisively, and I’d never heard him so mad, so angry, or so fucking strong.
However, it all came to a screeching halt.
“You wretched piece of fucking shit…” I heard, and a small sob erupted from me because the voice was closer to the phone, which meant William was moving closer to my Evan.
“Shh, baby girl,” Dad tried to soothe me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
There was a loud rustling sound, followed by the sounds of crashing glass and a hard thump, and finally the beep signaling that the call had ended.
“No!” I wailed, scrambling to dial him back. “No, no, no! Pick up…pick up…Evan, please!”
The call went straight to voice mail, over and over, and I was losing my fucking mind.
“Shit,” Wes said, standing up. “I’mma beat that motherfucker’s ass.” He faced the hallway. “Mom! Aunt Leanne!”
They’d been wrapping Christmas presents in my parents’ bedroom, and both hurried into the living room. As soon as they caught sight of me, my mother was wrapping me up.
“Dani? Baby, what happened?”
Dad explained quickly and added, “I knew he shouldn’t have gone home alone…or fucking at all for that matter.” He rocked back on his heels, clearly thinking for a moment. “Wes, get on the phone with the airline about those tickets you have. I want to land in Missoula as soon as you can get us there. All of us, if possible.”
Next, he took my phone from me and tried Evan again, only to get voice mail once more. He looked to me. “Dani-girl, calm down. Tell me the name of that town he’s in?”
“K-Key L-Lake.”
He nodded, swiping his finger over my phone and typing in a search. He found what he was looking for and called a phone number, putting the phone to his ear, murmuring that he was calling the local police. The tone my father took was the one he used in class or when he was dealing with some sort of business. He was normally so laid-back that to hear his no-nonsense voice was almost scary.
“Chief Clark, my name is Dr. Daniel Bishop, from Edgewater College in Glenhaven, Florida.” He paused, nodding once, and then stood up to pace. “One of my students—Evan Shaw—
is from your town, and he’s home for the holidays. However, during the middle of a phone conversation, there seemed to be a scuffle of sorts in the home, an argument, and now, I’m unable to get him back on the line. Yes, sir, I heard some of it. It was pretty…ugly. He’s my daughter’s boyfriend, and we’re just a bit concerned,” he said, eyeing me as I tried my damnedest to stop crying. “I’m wondering if you could just…take a moment to send someone? I know it’s Christmas, but…Listen, I’m about to head that way. I had plans to travel to Bozeman for New Year’s, but I’m thinking I may need to move that up a bit…”
His lie was smooth but necessary, and he hummed a few times as he listened over the line.
“I’m…I don’t have the boy’s address…Oh, you know it. Okay, then. Is there any chance you could call me back, Chief?” Dad rattled off his cell phone number, glancing up at Wes when he gave a thumbs-up and a tap to his wrist to let us know we were now in a time-crunch. “I’m leaving for the airport shortly, sir, so just leave a voice mail. I’ll get it when I can. Thank you, sir. I really appreciate this. I’ve got a very upset daughter, and the boy, he’s…he’s like family to me, so I’m just calling as a concerned parent.”
Dad ended the call after thanking the officer again and then knelt in front of me as he gave me back my phone. Tears started anew when my eyes fell to the picture on my background. It was Evan and me, laughing and silly in a selfie we’d taken on my porch swing.
“Dani, I need you to calm down for me,” he said firmly but gently. “The police chief said he’d personally drive to the Shaws’ home himself. Apparently his son is friends with Evan’s sister—they’re in the same class or something. Okay?” When I nodded, he turned to Wes but didn’t leave my side. “Wes, what’cha got, son?”
“Five seats for today in like two hours? Or four tomorrow? If we wait, not everyone can go,” he told us, his hand over the phone. “What do ya wanna do? I’m sure as shit going, and we can’t stop Dani, so…”
Dad sighed deeply, turning back to me to wipe away my tears, but before he could answer, it was my mother who piped up.
“Go…Everyone pack a bag. Keep it light and pack warmly. It’s snowing in Montana. Carry-on bags only. If we need something, we’ll buy it.” She snapped her fingers to get everyone moving.
Aunt Tessa was on her own phone. “Susan, sweetie. I need you to run the café for the next couple of days…”
I started to get up, my temper flaring. “If…If he hurt him…If one fucking hair on Evan’s head is harmed, that…that…man will have no idea what hit him!” I stated, pointing a finger to the ground.
Dad smirked but nodded, giving my forehead a kiss. “You make me feel almost sorry for the man, baby girl. Almost.” He nodded again but looked around at all of us. “We pull out of here in as soon as everyone’s packed. Go.”
Evan
My boots crunched over snow as I walked down my driveway. The cut on my forehead stung in the cold air, and my hand ached. I had no idea where I was going, only that I needed to get out of that house before I did more than punch that asshole.
I glanced back at the house, my nostrils flaring. I honestly didn’t know what pissed me off the most—the vitriol that Dad had spewed my way or the fact that I’d completely lost my shit. I’d begged my brother to maintain his control, and I’d done exactly the fucking opposite. In all reality, William Shaw could have me arrested for assault. I snorted at the thought, because what would the narrow-minded people of Key Lake think of that?
Still, I should’ve been the bigger person. I’d held on and held on the whole goddamn time I’d been in that house, but knowing what I knew about my father, I hadn’t been able to bear to see the look of hatred on his face while he’d been the one damn thing my mother had been trying to escape. The fucker had wanted a fight, and I’d sure as hell given him one.
Shaking my head, I groaned as I gripped my hair in my hand. My knuckles were sore, and when I looked down at them, I saw two of them were split and already turning purple. I made a fist, sneering at it. So much for Dani being proud of me.
“Shit,” I hissed, reaching into my pocket for my phone that had scattered all to hell when he threw it. “Fuck…Dani.” I scrambled to put the battery back in, but the back was cracked and the screen was splintered in a spider web that started from the corner, which just happened to be the power button.
My one connection to Dani, to everyone outside this fucked-up situation, was completely destroyed. For a split second, I wondered if Faith’s phone had fared any better. And it being Christmas, there was no replacing it, not until stores opened the next day. I needed to find a phone, even if I called the Bishop house collect, but I couldn’t even see my contacts list on my phone. The only number I had memorized was Dani’s cell.
My feet started to move, one in front of the other. I needed to think, and I needed to get away from that house. The crunch of snow was loud in the quiet streets. No one was outside, though I could imagine that most families were opening presents or still having breakfast or whatever the hell normal families did on major holidays.
When the black iron fence appeared in front of me, I came back to my senses. Gazing around, I realized I was at the cemetery across the street from the church. Swiping at my face, I could see that I was still bleeding just a little, but I ignored it and walked in through the gates. The snow on the graves was pristine, untouched, unsullied. I wandered slowly, noting names that had been here for decades. Dates went from the early 1900s to just last year. I saw names like Clark, Hill, Michaels, Wallace, and finally Shaw. Not for the first time did I bitterly wish that the first name on that headstone read William instead of Robyn. And for a few minutes as I squatted down to clear snow off the cold stone and away from my potted flower, I allowed my mind to play the “what if” game. What if the roles had been reversed? What if Mom had lived and my father had died? How different would shit be? My siblings and I would’ve been loved, cared for, nurtured. Not hated, not forgotten, not beaten down with foul words, manipulation, and indifference.
But then there would’ve been no Dani. I’d escaped my hellish existence in this stupid town to get away from it all, and I’d found the most amazing thing. I’d found my true place, my heart, my soul…my family.
I was so conflicted, but I was still very angry, and that last thought caused tears to sting my eyes. The unfairness of it all slammed into me like a Mack truck. To wish for something different would change the now, and Dani was my now. And all I wanted was her. That was it; that was all I could hope for in life. I loved her, and I couldn’t fathom anyone else owning my heart but her.
“Evan, son?” I heard behind me, and I stood up too quickly and spun, making myself a bit dizzy. “Whoa, easy, son…” Pastor Sean soothed, holding my shoulders. “You okay?”
I nodded, squeezing my eyes closed, but they opened when I felt a gentle hand on my face. He turned my head, eyeing my forehead, and then tilted my chin to look at my neck. I’d completely forgotten about Dad’s hand on my throat.
“What happened, Evan?”
I was simply going to shake my head, but something in me was still bitter. My snort of a humorless laugh sounded rough in the quiet cemetery.
“Family disagreement,” I muttered through gritted teeth.
Not for the first time did I see something akin to understanding cross his face. His eyes were as gray as the tombstones around us, but they were warmer, sadder. He sniffed once and nodded.
“C’mon,” he said, pointing toward the church. “Let’s clean you up. I’d just made a pot of coffee when I saw you through my window.”
We walked back out of the cemetery in silence; the only sound was our steps through the snow. Pastor Sean was ahead of me, and I noted he was dressed in jeans and a sweater, completely different than the usual dress pants and button-down he usually wore. Once across the street, we bypassed the church, and he pulled out his keys for the small home next door.
His house was the rectory, something prov
ided by the church while he was employed there. It was small, but the inside was warm, tidy, smelling of coffee and some sort of cleaner. I noted there was not a single Christmas decoration.
“Have a seat, Evan,” he said, tapping the kitchen table. “Cream and sugar?”
“Yes, sir,” I answered softly.
I wrapped my hands around the mug once he set it down in front of me, but he didn’t take a seat. He stepped out of the room, coming back with a small first-aid kit in his hand, and he dragged the other kitchen chair over.
He pulled out some gauze and disinfectant, inhaling softly. “Bit early for whiskey, don’t you think?”
I laughed, shaking my head, because I hadn’t even realized the drink Dad threw had splashed on me. It had been the least of my concerns at the moment.
“Not mine. Trust me.” I hissed at the sting as he started to clean my head.
“It’s not as deep as I thought, and it’s almost stopped bleeding. You want me to cover it?” he asked, but I shook my head. “Fair enough. Now, let me see that hand.”
I lay my hand flat on the table, and he cleaned that up as well.
“Pastor Sean, is…is it possible to use your phone?” I asked, wincing when there was more stinging.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. I quickly dialed Dani’s number, getting her voice mail instantly. Frowning, I dialed again, thanking Sean when he finished with my hand. The voice mail was immediate over and over, so I had no choice but to leave my girl a message.
“Pretty girl, I’m okay. Just…my phone is completely broken. I’ll get a new one tomorrow and call you back. Just…don’t panic, Dani. I promise you I’m okay, and I love you.” I shook my head slowly, pushing the phone back to Sean. “Thanks,” I whispered. I wasn’t an idiot; I knew Dani would be freaking out. It wouldn’t surprise me if she was on the phone with the damn airline.
When I looked up, Sean was studying me.
“You wanna talk about it? Anything you say to me stays in this kitchen, Evan. It’s a perk of my job,” he said, wearing a wry smile. He eyed my face, tilting his head before asking, “How long has this been going on, son?”